Find the Treasure
by Silver Ecstasy
Summary: Balthier's rich and Vaan's a regular pirate. They don't seem to get along... for now! Sail the seas and get captured while stealing, that's not what I call being a pirate! slight boyXboy don't like don't read, all credits go to The Trailblazer!
1. Introduction

Balthier set foot on his ship. What a wonderful morning, especially if you have to sail! It was really early in the morning, and the sky still was a bit dark and starry. The sea was calm and the wind on his favour.

He turned to his men and counted them consciously. There were one hundred and fifty men on his magnificent boat, _The Entreprise_.

He worked for a very rich man, the Prince of Dalmasca. He was quite young, but smart. Thanks to Balthier the prince could exchange merchandise such as cotton, silk and weapons with Paramina.

Of course the young captain always asked for a commission, and that's pretty much how he ended being settled and rich.

His house was big enough for two persons, he didn't need more. Fran lived with him, she was a viera archer who liked to stick with him. She was quite silent most of the time, but when she wasn't the stuff she said was just beyond Balthier's understanding. The young captain enjoyed a lot women's company, but he never took it that far with Fran, even though they could look very intimate. It was just that the viera seemed do understand and respect the young man even though he didn't tell her much about himself. But, hey, she was trustworthy, beautiful and strong so who cares?

He hummed as he went walking on the gate.

God, the sea really was wonderful!

He told his men to unfold the sails. After a few usual orders, they were gone. He was standing behind the rudder, quietly studying the waves, when Fran came by his side.

-I have a bad feeling, Captain.

-There are no reasons to, Fran. No storm in sight, isn't that really odd?

He laughed lightly while the viera remained thoughtfully silent.

She sure was boring sometimes...

xxxxxxxxxxx

Vaan had a quite devilish aura around him, looking through his binoculars.

Penelo instantly knew he had a plan in mind.

-Did you see something interesting?

-You bet I did!

She sighed. She really liked the boy, like a "mother" since she mostly took care of him, and also as a secret crush. He was careless and stubborn, but could also be brave and fair.

He often protected their childhood friends, Kytes and Filo. They all knew each other at the orphanage a long time ago, and since then their common dream was to sail the seas and steal treasures.

They all knew it was full of danger, but other friends followed them anyway, and all together they were enough to run the ship.

Vaan turned to her with his devious grin.

-Found a big fish over there.

-Let me see...

She took the binoculars from the boy's hands and looked.

There was indeed what looked like a commercial ship. It was huge. She whistled, impressed.

-That's quite a catch, she said, putting the binoculars down on a table.

-Pretty isn't it? We have a jackpot there. I'm going to tell Kytes and Filo.

And he was off, running to the two younger ones.

She watched them as they laughed in excitement. Well she hoped they could manage their theft...


	2. Vaan is captured!

Their boat was now heading towards the big one from behind. There were no clouds and it was risky with all that light, but Vaan just couldn't resist the opportunity.

There had to be something on that boat since it was so huge...

He gripped his sword with a devilish smile. His pirate instincts were tingling.

Penelo didn't look so thrilled about it since she was always worried about them, like if they were still children or something. Sometimes it really was a pain.

Kytes called him from the gate.

-Vaan! We're close enough now!

xxxxxxxxxxx

Balthier laughed a little, amused, which made Fran look up from the waves and look at him.

His arms were folded on his chest and his eyes closed. He had that grin he always had when preparing something.

-What is the matter? She asked.

-Can't you feel something?

-Well, no, what about it?

He opened one eye to look at her, his grin still stuck on his face.

-I can sense a fight coming at us...

One of his men suddenly arrived running.

-Captain! Pirates on board!

Fran arched an eyebrow. She didn't know that Balthier had such sharp sense. In fact, she didn't know he had a sense at all...

She saw him slide a hand on his beloved Riot gun. Things were about to get risky.

Not for him of course, for the pirates. But those fools didn't know a thing.

She sighed as she turned to the men to calm them down.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Vaan was the first to set foot on the gigantic boat. He looked around with a bit of a smug face. No one was around, they were all scared away by his magnificence... Ah, well, it was a shame, he wouldn't have said no to a fight.

He unsheathed his sword as he turned to the others still on their own boat to tell them the path was clear, but the faces they made stopped him. They looked scared.

-What's wrong?...

Kytes slowly pointed something behind him. Uh, so there was someone behind?...

Without letting the enemy know he was aware of his presence, he turned on his heels and gave a fast swing of his sword to the tall man standing there.

What he didn't expect was for the man to easily dodge the blow.

-You are quite lively I see, said the man.

Vaan straightened and glanced at him. He was taller than him, his hair was kind of dark blond and his eyes a weird green-greyish colour. The smirk he was displaying was just getting on Vaan's nerves. Who the hell was he to look down on him like that?

-Who're you?

-The name's Balthier.

Vaan's mind went blank. Balthier? THE Balthier? That captain who never lost any of his merchandise? Damn, this could've been better... He was dead meat for sure...

The captain swung his gun in his hand.

-And who might you be, audacious pirate?

-Vaan... How does that matter?...

-Well pleased to meet you, Vaan. Now be prepared.

Vaan shook his head. Was that guy seriously planning on shooting him?...

-H-hey, listen... I'm sorry so... WAH!

He barely managed to dodge the bullet, earning a scratch on his right shoulder.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Balthier frowned a little.

The pirate's shoulder was bleeding, and he didn't like it. Why? He usually was so ecstatic when he hurt a prey. But here that guy in front of him... Why didn't he feel the same? Anyways that guy had guts. He liked it, and maybe he could be useful to defend the boat for him? For the moment he was trying to escape, his friends throwing a rope at him.

-Tch.

He shot straight forward, cutting neatly the rope.

-As a punishment for trying to rob me, I'm going to keep you as a slave for a while.

A fair blond girl on the other boat scowled.

-No way! Vaan!

The boy was now holding his wound, which was deeper than it seemed at first sight.

-Penelo... It's alright, I'll come back... Take care of Kytes and Filo!

Balthier grinned at the scene before him. He had managed to keep the pirate for the moment.


	3. Vaan's plot

Vaan opened his eyes only to see the roof above his head. The slight swing of the floor indicated him he still was on a boat. Just what happened?...

He sat on the bed he was lying on. A bed... He looked around. That was what looked like a nursery.

Then he noticed the good-looking viera who was sitting across the room on a wooden chair.

-You finally woke up, she said in a calm tone.

-What happened?... I...

Then he remembered that guy with his gun. What an irritating bastard.

He got up on his feet all of sudden.

-Where's that Balthier bloke? I'm going to beat the crap out of hi... Oooh...

He fell back on the bed, feeling dizzy.

The viera shook her head.

-Don't move around too much, the drug's still effective.

-You... You drugged me?

She sighed.

-You wouldn't let us cure your wound.

He looked at his shoulder. It had indeed been taken good care of.

-What does he expect from me?

-Well, he said he'd keep you as a bodyguard or something like that.

Vaan scoffed. Him? A body guard? It was more like he needed a human shield, because Vaan absolutely didn't see how he could possibly be of any use for that wacky guy.

The viera leaned back on her chair.

-Personally I think he is just intrigued.

-Huh? Why?

-No one has ever fought back like you did. He thinks you are interesting.

What a weirdo. What was he planning on to do to him? Keep him locked in a jail and see how he reacts?... This was just crazy. He had to get out of here, as soon as they reached land.

-Where are we heading by the way?

She smiled, as if she guessed all of Vaan's plot.

-Paramina.

That really was some bad luck. Paramina was a frozen land infested by zombies and various charming creatures...

But he wasn't going to give up just because of that. He had to find Penelo and the others as fast as possible. He really hoped they would be fine without him... What if they got attacked?... he shook the idea out of his head. The viera gave him a knowing look.

-You shouldn't worry too much about your companions. They'll be just fine, this sea isn't occupied by pirates, usually...

So they really had picked up the wrong place... if they weren't any pirates there it surely was for a reason.

The viera closed her eyes.

-... because Balthier took them all out.


	4. Fran's intuition

Balthier was currently standing behind the rudder. The wind had risen and black clouds were now above their heads. He now understood Fran's bad feeling, she never was mistaken. That didn't make things easier of course, it would take them a little more time to get out of this mess.

A wave crashed against the ship, making it sway strongly. That wasn't good at all. He turned to his panicking men and gave a few orders. He knew how to escape from the storm, but they had to be quick if they didn't want to die there. He went to help with the ropes.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Vaan looked around to see everybody totally panicked. It was a total mess. Plus, he didn't know if it was possible to escape from a storm like that. What was that wacky gunner trying to do?... Where was he, by the way? Surely sitting on a chair while watching his crew work their ass off fo...

He stopped right there, because there he saw the captain among the crew, helping as much as he could. Seemed like he got the wrong idea about the guy. But he still was wacky. He shivered as the freezing rain slowly drenched him. He was better there than lying uselessly in the nursery. He was useless here too, but at least he was there. That's when Balthier saw him, and instantly had an angry look on his face. It was almost scarier than the storm.

The captain quickly walked to him.

-What the hell are you doing here!

-Thought I'd help out. Because first I don't want do die and second, wasn't I supposed to be a slave or something? So I could at least help you not to die.  
>He arched an eyebrow when seeing all the anger leave the man's face. That was quick.<p>

xxxxxxxxxxx

Well that was funny. The instant he looked into the boy's blue eyes, he felt relaxed. Why was that? It wasn't so bad, but he was a bit worried about his mental health. Was he crazy? The boy's blue eyes reminded him of the clear blue sky. But that wasn't something to think about a guy's eyes was it?...

He stared blankly for a while until the pirate shook his shoulder.

-Hey, hang in there. We need to get out of this.

He shook his head lightly and took a deep breath.

-Okay, Vaan, go help out there. They'll tell you what to do.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Fran truly was amused. She had felt this storm from the beginning along with something else. Balthier really was acting strange, and yet he himself didn't know why. Because he didn't accept the fact he had fallen in love. The situation was so funny, she almost laughed. Balthier, who had always love women's company had fallen in love with a pirate.


	5. Balthier's turn to be caught!

Balthier sighed with relief when he set foot on Paramina's grounds. Vaan eyed him with a thoughtful pout. What was his true personality? First he acted all grand and stuff and now he was all busted up because of the great help he gave his men. Was he a better guy than what he seemed to be?

His thoughts were interrupted by the captain's voice.

-What on earth...?

Before them was standing a whole army of zombies and crap. They didn't seem do be very happy to see them.

Vaan turned to Balthier.

-Wow. What now?

Balthier raised his gun towards the monsters.

-There's a shitload of 'em. We'll have to rip 'em off before they have time to counter-attack... Or we're screwed.

-Well aren't we already screwed?...

Balthier smiled wildly.

-Never give up 'till you're half-dead.

And with that he jumped into the fight, defending his crew with spite.

Vaan was stunned by such energy, and turned around only to see Fran doing the same.

So that was the real deal. Never retreat before danger.

He and the others were only a joke. Those guys... were worth much more than them. Vaan would have just ran off before such a mass.

Without a second thought, he jumped into the fight as well.

xxxxxxxxxxx

The corpses of their enemies were scattered all over the place, and Balthier was quite satisfied. He had managed to draw the pirate into the fight, which meant he had gained in courage. But unfortunately he himself had been wounded, and he couldn't feel his right arm anymore. Where was Fran?...

When he realized what was going on, it was already too late. The monsters were a decoy. Everything had been done to drag him away from his crew, and now a knife was laid against his neck.

-Thieves...

The man sneered.

-Perceptive, aren't we, huh, Captain!

Giggles could be hears from behind. It was a band of five or six.

-Whatcha gonna do now, eh, Captain? We gonna sell ya fo' money ya know! I bet we gonna have a nice amount for a guy like you!

Balthier closed his eyes. He was done for.

But he wasn't going to give up that easily, was he?...


	6. Vaan is a Hero!

Vaan kept pacing around, thinking. What the hell could have happened to that wacky bastard ? It was absolutely not the time to get lost. What a moron. But still, what if something had happened to him?... He turned to Fran, who was giving orders to the men.

-What do we do?

-I am going to deliver the merchandise.

-What? Are you going to let your captain down?

She gave him a cold look.

-It pains me as much as it pains you. But he always said that whatever happens to him our priority is the delivery of the merchandise.

Vaan scowled.

-Well, I am going to look for him then.

Fran didn't say a word, leading the crew to the town.

Vaan turned around and went in the direction where he had last seen the captain. He stopped a bit farther, seeing the captain's gun lying on the floor. He picked it up, an angry look on his face. Whoever did this was going to pay for it. Why was he so angry? Maybe because Fran wouldn't do anything. Maybe because that wacky captain was a good guy and didn't deserve to be let down. Maybe because he wanted to be useful.

Anyways, he had to move.

He started to run, following the footsteps in the snow.

XXX

Balthier woke up in a cell, his wrists chained to the wall. He still couldn't feel his arm and felt dizzy. They had drugged him.

He closed his eyes. Fran was probably delivering the merchandise with the crew... and Vaan probably ran away...

The captain knew the pirate had had that idea. Who wouldn't? He didn't like the idea of him getting away... But it was safer for him, wasn't it?...

He sighed with a small smile. Everything would be fine for them, whatever could happen to him.

He had given up.

-There you are you bastard!

He raised his head towards his interlocutor, but it was too dark to see.

-Well yes, here I am. Who're you by the way? The guy who's going to buy my head?

-Tch, I wouldn't waste a penny on you!

The sentence was meant to be hurtful, but there was warmth in it. He suddenly realized what the shit was going on.

-Vaan?

-Who else? I've got to get you outta here before more of 'em come at me.

And with that the pirate took the keys on a table and opened the cell.

-I'm chained.

-Huh, really.

With his sword, Vaan violently broke the chains before helping Balthier to get on his feet.

-I owe you one, pirate.  
>-Let's discuss of the matter later. For now, we ought to get the hell out of here.<p> 


	7. Reunion

Vaan carried Balthier on his back, with him drugged being unable to walk.

He had given him his gun back.

They were now racing in the enemy's corridors.

-Why didn't you escape while you had the chance to?

Vaan was surprised by the question.

-Because you're not worth dying that heroically.

The captain grinned.

-C'mon, get to the point already.

-Well... seeing you all fight together... Oh well you in particular, when you were helping your crew like one of them and not like a captain, it made me think. And when you disappeared, they just went without hesitating, following your orders even though you were not here. So basically I was the only one who could do something... And I kinda wanted to.

Balthier smiled softly.

-Thank you.

Vaan stopped.

-... What?

-I won't say it twice!

-Hahah! Captain Balthier thanked me!

-You little...

He staid still for a second.

-Vaan, someone's coming.

The young pirate let Balthier down and unsheathed his sword.

A second later, he was facing a strong man with an axe in the hands.

Vaan, as fast as thunder, charged first, but the man was also fast and dodged easily. With a counter-attack, he scratched Vaan's right arm, and, without a second thought, Balthier shot him. It looked as though his eyes would dig holes right in the man's skull.

Vaan wiped the blood from his wound and kneeled near Balthier.

-Are you okay?

Balthier cast him an angry look and kissed him without a word.

xxxxxxxxxxx

He closed his eyes. The pirate's lips were warm. And soft.

He had no clue in why he'd done that, but the sight of his arm bleeding made him sick. He considered the boy as _his_. It wasn't a bad feeling, but it was quite unusual for him to feel that way towards another guy. Well life would be boring if everything went only one way.

And he felt so good right now. But they needed to breathe, so he slowly pulled away. Vaan stared at him for a long, long time.

And what he said next staid carved into his heart.

-I don't want to return to my own boat now, isn't that lame?

He took the boy's hand and pulled on it so he landed right in his arms (well his left arm, he still couldn't feel the right one).

-There isn't anything lame in love.

Vaan smiled.

-Let's get out of here.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Fran sighed as the crew returned to the ship. No sign of Vaan or Balthier. Were they both killed or sold as slaves? Knowing Balthier, he'd rather be dead than enslaved. But the young pirate...

-Hey guys!

Fran raised her head, recognizing the voice.

-Balthier?

-What're you making that face for? Thought I was dead didn't you?

The whole crowd was cheered up now, and as the sun was setting they decided to light a fire. It was a really nice weather and the sky was slowly turning orange. Fran could tell something had happened between the pirate and the captain, and it was for the best. They seemed to know each other for a long time, even though Vaan was supposed to be a slave and Balthier a proud bastard.

Oh well, that trip sure had changes things.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

_Thanks to The Trailblazer!_


End file.
